Tag: Real Madrid C.F.

Politics has shaped the identity of a number of Spanish football clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona's main rivals. Real Madrid fans don't want the club to be involved in politics Luis Camps, Real Madrid supporter Almost a century on, the club's historical link to the royal family continues to shape how it is perceived, particularly among rival Barca fans, according to Jimmy Burns, journalist and author of La Roja: A Journey Through Spanish Football. "FC Barcelona and a lot of its supporters live in Catalonia, a region in which many people regard themselves as politically and culturally different from the rest of Spain … they see Real Madrid as the team representing the rest of Spain," Burns told Al Jazeera. Some Real Madrid supporters, however, deny the club is wrapped up in political symbolism in Spain. "[The club] is one of the biggest platforms to tell the world what's happening in Catalonia and what people want to do in the region … [it] helps the Catalan independence movement," Bolea said. "Fans who come every week to the stadium are, in general, for Catalan independence … [it] represents more than a club for us." [FC Barcelona] is one of the biggest platforms to tell the world what's happening in Catalonia and what people want to do in the region Gerard Pique, a current FC Barcelona player, has gone further and offered public support for Catalan independence. Athletic Bilbao, the dominant club in Spain's Basque Country, have a policy of only fielding players either born or trained as a youth player in the region. Other clubs in the Basque Country, such as Bilbao's biggest local rivals Real Sociedad, have opted not to maintain a policy of signing only Basque footballers. Inextricable politics Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Real Madrid are three of the four most successful clubs since the founding of Spain's top football league in 1928.